Kinetic Hello
by lipstickletter
Summary: The ambitious spitfire, Alice Brandon, is cast in her first movie, Kinetic Hello, where she meets Hollywood heartthrob, Jasper Whitlock. How does she  face the chaos of fame? That's the least of her problems when she finds out he's hiding something. AH
1. Chapter 1

**Please note: This does not have a happy ending. Precede with caution. **

**Disclaimer: I own the plot, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters.

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"Alice Brandon was seen out and about in LA last night," the television blared and I groaned, rolling over. "She was heard talking to her co-star and complete hottie, Jasper Whitlock, on the phone as she entered her apartment building. While her beau is off in New York, Miss. Brandon seems to really miss him. Our sources tell us she's glued to her cell phone and the two are inseparable; even long-distance won't keep them apart! How romantic and—"

Jasper rolled over and ran his calloused fingertips down my thigh, smirking as I squirmed in protest. He leaned over me and took the remote, turning off the television that we had left on last night, kissing my jaw line as he settled back beside me. He wrapped his arms around my waist; pulling my back against his chest and nuzzling into my neck with a heavy exhale.

"Good morning," I murmured, my voice a hoarse whisper. He moaned a reply, neither one of us moving. How he got to California without the press noticing him, especially entering my apartment complex with paparazzi swarming the place every hour, I'll never know.

"Do you want coffee?" I asked sleepily and he grumbled an incoherent reply into the bare skin at my neck. I took that as a yes, but as I moved to get out of bed, he grabbed me tightly around the waist and pulled me back against him.

With his lips pressed against my ear, he growled, "don't move." I closed my eyes and turned around so I was facing him. His face was half-buried in the pillow, one emerald eye cracked open to squint dazedly at me. A small smile spread across his face and the dimpled crookedness would have me weak at the knees if I were standing. His hair was a blonde unruly mess, sticking up all over the place both from last night's escapades and the night's sleep (and maybe even just how he kept his hair—or how he _didn't _keep it).

His thumb brushed over my hipbone and his stare softened to a loving gaze. Neither of us broke the silence. I reached out a hand to cup his cheek, memorizing his face, every dimple and scar from his rambunctious childhood. I truly believed I was the luckiest woman in the world. Who knew a girl from a small town like Biloxi, Mississippi would ever end up with Jasper Whitlock, the talented heartthrob of every generation?

It all began when I landed the role in his first producer-and-actor role, _Kinetic Hello. _The plot surrounded a hopeless romantic writer and bookworm, Charlotte (me), who travels across the country for inspiration. She meets Peter (Jasper) in a diner in Philadelphia, where he immediately sweeps her off her feet. The movie ends with a bit of a cliffhanger: it's assumed they're back together when Peter proposes and Charlotte agrees, but every engagement can end.

Jasper proposed quite a few times, but that's another story. Perhaps we should rewind a bit and go back to the moment we first met instead of fast-forwarding to the post-coital morning after. Right? Yes.

I walked to my audition that day and entered the dull gray building to stand behind a line of people, checking in before taking a seat on the floor and waiting my turn. I glanced to my right to see women of all shapes and sizes, some fixing their clothes, some mouthing exercises, some clutching their cell phones as if it held their life, and others were gossiping, looking up and down the other girls and noting their physical imperfections. I shut my eyes and curled further against the wall trying to brace myself for the audition.

I was a model: strictly commercial modeling, paid by my friend, Vera, who had begun her own business out of her home and needed someone to model the clothes for her online store. I had little to no income and managed to get a job at the local Hilton Hotel as a hostess, greeting the guests as they came in, but never checking any one in or doing much of anything. With the little money I had, I paid my manager and I sustained my clothing addiction.

My brother referred to me as the little fashionista. Even when I couldn't pay my rent for the month, I would still have enough money to buy fabric to make my own clothes. I was an aspiring designer, but my manager told me I was a little too ambitious, to work on one goal at a time. Actress first, clothing line later.

If I landed the role it would be a dream come true. The infamous Volturi production company took it on—meaning it was nearly impossible for the movie to flop. There were all experienced actors to back up the film. Including the lead male: Jasper Whitlock.

Yes, Jasper Whitlock, the one experienced actor who had graced this film with a few thousand dollars and his name as producer and actor for publicity. He had been acting since he was little, starring on hit sitcoms as soon as he could walk and talk. I grew up watching him on weekday nights as he progressed from child star to handsome heartthrob. I had been apart of the generation of fanatics who pledged their love to him in fan clubs that later turned to the cyber world.

This explains the flood of women in the lobby. Of course, Jasper, like every decent young man, was unavailable—or rumored to be. Maria Moreno had been beside Jasper in all the tabloids since they were teenagers. She _had _been signed onto this movie to play opposite Jasper, but had scheduling conflicts and backed out. Hence my presence and the hundreds of women around me.

Still, I wasn't interested in romance or getting to shake hands with the southern gentleman. I was interested in launching my career. Befriending a celebrity would be a great perk, but I wasn't building myself up for any promising friendships.

However, my indifference as to who would be in the next room didn't ease my exceeding heart rate. My hands were shaking, my palms were sweaty, my arms ere trembling, my body was vibrating with anticipation. Would I make a fool of myself? This was it. This was my chance; this was—

"Alice Brandon?" a voice rang out from the doorway. I looked up from my spot curled up on the floor and immediately jumped up, now realizing my height difference. Four eleven Alice was not cut out for this. I sheepishly wove through the crowd to the door where a man with a clipboard eyed me up and down critically, taking my headshot, minute resume, before addressing the crowd.

"Everyone who has already had their audition, please wait outside the building. Mr. Whitlock will be taking autographs once the auditions are over," he called loudly over the giggles and accumulating whispers of teenage girls. As he opened the door wider for me to enter the dark room, two security guards slipped to my sides. I found that a bit comical; how could a barely-five-foot woman do any harm to a fully-grown man?

I walked further into the room and the guards let up a bit, moving to opposite sides of the room as I took the center of the room where the set lay out. The couple in the movie met at a small diner in Philadelphia. In the audition space there lay a battered laminated booth with a red speckled plastic table with a napkin holder and various condiments along with two menus. I looked over at the table where three chairs were set, two of them filled, and one empty.

"You are Alice Brandon, correct?" a brunette bombshell asked, her curls fanning her perfect heart shaped face and extenuating her cheekbones. I nodded dumbly and she smirked with an intimidating stare, beckoning me forward with her index finger. I immediately went up to the desk and she handed me a two-page read through. "We're sick of the script we gave you," she said with a shrug as I took the paper. "Enough girls have bludgeoned it to death. How about the diner scene for a try?"

A blonde wide-eyed young woman glared at me next, looking me over perilously. "Jasper stepped out for a minute, but you can read along with Demetri," she said with a grin, looking over my shoulder. I followed her gaze to see whom I presumed to be Demetri leaning against the booth.

"Milady," he bowed his head and I smirked, the tension releasing for a minute. I looked down at the script in my hands. Charlotte sits at the booth staring out the window, Peter approaches and the dialogue begins. Easy enough...

As I approached Demetri, he held out a hand and we shared a brief polite introduction before he aided me and told me to sit and to relax. I slid into the booth, crossing my legs and tapping my foot aimlessly. Charlotte was a free spirit in the synopsis, a bookworm in her own right and she preferred solitude. She loved sappy romance novels and soap operas, but was determined she didn't need a man for happiness. She moved to the new location for a change of scenery, as an aspiring author needs. Thus, I pulled out a little Jane Austen from my brown canvas bag as a little added prop. I flipped it open somewhere to the middle and began skimming its pages; beside it I left the script on the table.

Demetri approached, smiling and leaning against the back of the red plastic-coated chair. "Why is a lovely lady such as yourself alone in the corner of a diner on a Friday night?" I heard a door open and close on the other side of the room, but didn't flinch.

"Was that a pick-up line?" I read the line briskly, sharply, my voice steady. I felt like I was out of my own shell. My mind was elsewhere as I read the lines and stepped into Charlotte's shell. I once again ignored a sound from the two women as a chair was dragged across the floor and whispers erupted.

"Did it work?" Demetri replied, his head dipping down to persuade me to tell him otherwise.

"Sit," I said, narrowing my eyes and leaning back in my chair, closing my book, but marking where I left off with my index finger.

"You didn't answer my question," he quipped and I smirked.

"I thought it was rhetorical," I replied easily. He raised and eyebrow and I sighed, looking down at the script then back at my book. "I thought a diner would be an easy way of avoiding pick-up lines," I said, dropping a beat before adding a sarcastic, "apparently I was wrong."

Demetri looked down at the table and smiled sheepishly. "I'm Peter," he introduced and I waited a beat or two, just like stubborn Charlotte would. "And you are… going to make this very difficult, aren't you?" he asked with a dry chuckle.

"Why should I tell you my name?" I quipped, my eyes pouring over the script in front of me. "How do I know Peter is your real name anyway? This is the typical bit, right? Naïve girl is brought home by a quick-witted, charming, handsome young man and she will wake up the next morning to see she is alone, right? She'll end up talking all about herself, all about her life's ambitions, pouring out her heart and soul while the man will pretend to listen when he's merely undressing her with his eyes and—"

"Slow down," Demetri interrupted with the next line. "You assume my pick-up line was to get you into bed with me? If I wanted that I wouldn't go to a diner," he said with a light chuckle.

"I'm going to cut you off there," a sultry bass interrupted us from the other side of the room. I looked in his direction and couldn't quite make him out on that shadowed side of the room. He glanced at the other two women, mumbling something about running another scene before he looked back over at us. "Demetri, you're done, let me have a go."

Demetri sighed and slid out of the booth, bowing sarcastically with a mock salute before walking over to the other women as the man approached the booth. Six-feet tall, blonde unruly hair, worn leather bomber, white v-neck tee, dark-wash jeans, scuffed cowboy boots, and piercing emerald eyes: Jasper Whitlock.

"I'm Jasper and you're Alice, am I correct?" he asked with a knowing smile. I nodded and as he held out his hand, I took it without thinking of what I was doing. I had never thought of this man as "dazzling" and "irresistible" like many women my age—or many women in general, but as I shook his hand, I felt my body jolt with nerves.

"Nice to meet you," I managed to say as our hands parted.

"Can we run that scene one more time?" he asked sweetly, obviously a born charmer. I smirked a bit at his palpable change in tone when he asked something. I nodded eagerly and he smiled as well. "Great."

For the next hour we ran the diner scene, the scene I had in my original bit of audition material, and the final proposal scene. Going from the booth to the middle of the room and back again, we used every available space. After a few line flubs from either of us, we would end up laughing or giggling, starting over with patience and ease.

"And now the ingénue flees the country," Jasper read as Peter, crossing the room to stand just a few inches away from me. "I tell you I love you and you book a flight out of the country."

"I told you I wasn't looking for a permanent relationship!" I exclaimed easily as Charlotte. "Love seems pretty permanent, don't you think?" I growled, taking a daring step forward, causing him to take a step back. "If you love something, you let it go. So let me go, Peter," I ended in a mere whisper as my eyes scanned to the bottom of the page to read the words: [_They kiss_]. Whoa.

"I can't," his voice was the same: a mere whisper, husky with intensity and dripping with emotion. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against him and I gasped, the script dropping to the floor. "I'm selfish, Charlotte, and I won't let you get on that plane." _What was my line?_ "Marry me," he continued_. What was my line?_ His face was a mere inch from mine and I closed my eyes, too dazed to care; his breath, a mix of bitter coffee and spearmint, warming my face.

"Alright, that's enough," the blonde called from her seat across the room. Jasper's grip immediately loosened and I let out a heavy breath, looking toward the women as I stepped away from him as he went over to speak to them. I went back over to the booth and sat down as I heard their faint whispers. I managed to catch, "You've been with her for an hour. That's more than enough time!"

I vaguely wondered what was taking him so long, but obviously it was a good thing… right? He wouldn't keep me for an hour—had it really been an hour—if he just wanted to cross me off the list, would he?

He approached me now with a smile. "Almost done," he assured me, reaching the other side of the booth. "We're going to adlib, alright?" he began, his green eyes reading my soul. I nodded at the challenge, trying to focus on his words. Jasper wanted to make sure I could handle the character. He wanted to know that I knew Anna backwards and forwards or as much as needed for a foundation. "I'm going to ask you questions just as an outsider, a basic interview. Answer how you think Charlotte would answer, okay?" his southern drawl drew me in and I nodded, opening my copy of Jane Austen again.

"You moved here from Washington state, but why Philadelphia?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Why New York; why Paris?" I answered with a smile. "Why not Philadelphia? It was also a pretty cheap plane ticket," I said and he smirked, nodding and glancing over at the two women in the opposite direction. I didn't turn, but locked my eyes on him.

"Jane Austen?" he questioned, looking down at my book.

"Classic romance," I explained. "Danielle Steele is the modern crap they have out today and quite frankly, I'm stuck on the originals. Shakespeare, Austen, the clichéd romantic gurus. You say one quote from either of them and you have a girl on her knees," I finished which earned me another smirk and now dimpled smile from Jasper.

"Do you agree with her time, the necessity of marriage?" he pressed with a final tone as if this were my last question.

"Men don't bring happiness, men bring stereotype," I answered. "Show me one man who doesn't expect a woman to clean, cook, and do all the housework and I'll change my mind." The next moment was a silent one. He looked at me, I at him. I could see the wheels turning in his head, the moment of truth: would I get the role or would I be working at that hotel forever?

"Alice, right?" he spoke—two hours and he was still unsure of my name—I nodded slowly. "Congratulations." _What? _

"Jasper, you can't just give her the part, we have to discuss—" the blonde woman protested.

"Not to mention we have hundreds more women to go through," the brunette interrupted, but Jasper locked eyes with mine, shaking his head.

"I have a good feeling about this. Besides, we're on a tight schedule since Maria left; we don't have the time to go through another hundred girls and she's good. Plus, it's a fresh face; the press will eat her up," he said with a smirk, looking over to the other women on the panel. My heart was pounding in my chest and I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words.

"So does this mean I—" I began, my voice quite, timid. Jasper turned his attention back to me before chuckling a bit to himself.

"Yes, you got the part. Jenks, come over here for a second," he called to a man I couldn't see behind the panel of women. "But I want you back here tomorrow at noon. We need to tailor all of Maria's costumes so they fit you," he said, turning his attention back to me as the middle-aged man approached and my smile grew. Still, I didn't move an inch and he raised an eyebrow, questioning my health. "You okay, little darlin'?"

I nodded as I watched him smile and dip his head once before he slid out of the booth and began walking toward the other women. "Thank you!" I called to him, but he kept walking as he answered with an amused, "you're welcome."

A balding man in an expensive Italian suit came to my side with a stack of papers and nervously spoke a mile a minute, handing me a contract he had on hand. They must be really off track if they needed the person to sign today, but I didn't care and didn't consult my manager as I signed the dotted line.

I was cast. I had my big break. Now all I had to do was deal with hundreds of women in the lobby, who wanted to take my place and would stop at nothing to do so… Wonderful.

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**This was a story I posted a while back, but just re-did the entire first chapter. I'm going to be posting sporadically, but reviews would be great! Thanks for reading. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Please note: This is not a happy ending. You have been warned. **

**Disclaimer: I own the storyline, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters.

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His lips were like satin, moving against mine in a burning frost and yet dissolving into a delicious molten lava that consumed my entire body, irresistible, luscious, undeniable. His fingers hungrily dug into my scalp and I inched closer to him—if there were a closer—to deepen the kiss. I took a fistful of the front of his shirt in my hand, a soft moan escaping my lips as his arm tightened around my waist before his perfect lips diverted their attention to my neck.

"CUT!"

Yes, it was a scene.

… _Fuck. _

Jasper pulled back, the heat leaving too soon. He propped an arm up beside my shoulder and released his viral crooked smile in the lust filled haze. I stumbled to remain professional, looking down as my cheeks flushed. I had never been this close to a man before—an awkward teenager, yes, but a _man_ had never felt me up. To have a heartthrob/sexiest-man-of-the-past-decade be the one to do it was a bit nerve-wracking.

Marcus, the director, stepped into set and bypassed the various cameras as he approached Jasper, who was still standing incredibly close to me. As I went to turn away, Jasper slipped a casual arm around my waist, pulling me back against his side. "Where are you going, darlin'?" he asked with a smirk. Before I could answer, he pressed a kiss to my temple and all-too-naturally turned his attention back to the director.

"I know we have the 'I love you' planned for later in the script," Marcus began as I felt Jasper's grip tighten. I put my hand over his to attempt to loosen the grip, but instead found my hand still.

Most of our scenes were the lovey-dovey look-into-each-others-eyes-for-eternity scenes. We would run a few scenes behind the cameras, but just the intense stuff: Peter's opening up about an abusive past, his accusation that Charlotte merely hides behind her notebook. Jasper and I were close, or as close as co-stars can be, but he always flirted, which I assumed was normal for the southern upbringing—always opening doors, holding hands, not leaving a room without me, blah, blah. Every girl in the world hated me for landing this role.

"But I think now would be better—I don't know, the dynamic seems all here," Marcus was a hopeless romantic. He was open to me when I had the privilege of speaking to him. He told me of his wife, how they met, how they fell in love, and how he proposed. He spoke of her infectious smile, her lustrous green eyes, and her lust for life itself. She passed away last fall and he has been slowly picking up the pieces, but he confessed he was never himself. This story hit close to home with him for she had denied love as a true emotion when he had proposed over and over again. Long story short, Marcus was adamant on how we portrayed these roles even if some may believe this movie is a sappy chick flick.

"It seems it all moves so fast in the next scene," Jasper agreed with a stern nod. "Should we run with it and see how it goes and you pick out what you want?" We seemed to be doing quite a bit of that: adlibbing and altering the script that was very loosely based. With Jasper as one of the producers of the film, it was easy for him to jump out of a scene and critique something before taking his role as actor and delving back into the story.

Marcus agreed with the idea and looked to me. "She's happy, but that scares her," he reminded me and I nodded before he smiled and walked off behind the camera again, telling the others about the plan. After a few minutes Marcus approached with a small lens just to get the rough-draft angles right and he stood right beside us as the others watched from the sidelines.

Jasper stood in front of me, pressing his hand to the wall next to my left cheek, his head dipping down to nuzzle his nose with mine. I closed my eyes and held my breath for a second before I felt his lips caress my cheek and trail to my ear, "I love you," he whispered so quietly that I believed I imagined it for a minute or so.

I relaxed my lungs, releasing my breath. My eyes shot open in surprise, taking the role of Charlotte as he hesitated with his lips still pressed against my ear. I ducked my head down to steer away from his touch and leaned my temple against his arm that was still outstretched to the wall. "Peter—" I trailed off with an uneven exhale.

"You don't have to say it back," he scrambled, pulling back a bit more to try and give me a bit of space in his small surrender. "I'm not looking for you to say it back," he murmured and I head Marcus take a step back to expand the frame. Jasper's calloused fingertip gently lifted my chin so he could meet my gaze.

"I just want you to know," he continued as his fingertips brushed across my cheek. I instinctively leaned into the caress, my cheek resting in his palm. "I loved you since you walked into that diner," he said with a small smile. His thumb brushed over my lower lip and I closed my eyes, trying to move my face away, but who would want to move away from this? Apparently my heart was controlling my motor skills.

"She needs more resistance," Marcus said, lowering the lens, but Jasper didn't drop his hand. I turned to glance at Marcus and then back at Jasper, motioning to his hand still on my cheek.

"It's hard to resist this," I said with a giggle earning a few chuckles of those behind the camera as well. I took his hand off my cheek and lowered it to his side, but his fingertips intertwined with mine, not letting go. I glanced up at Jasper, who was just smirking and staring innocently at Marcus. Had he noticed he was still holding my hand or is he still in the scene? Is he a method actor—putting himself in Peter's shoes and never leaving his mindset—or was he still playing the role of the charismatic gentleman?

"Ah, yes, well we all know Jasper's quite the charmer," Marcus said with a chuckle. "How about we call it a day so I have time to review the scene again?" Jasper shrugged and I turned my head away from them to politely hide my yawn, but of course Jasper still heard me.

"Looks like the little darlin' is ready for her beauty sleep," he commented and I swatted his arm, shaking my head.

"I can keep going, I just need some coffee," I assured Marcus, who smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, we're all done for the day. Hopefully I'll have the scene under your door by Saturday evening. I'll see you both on Monday," he said as he walked back over to the other crewmembers. Ah right, it was Friday. Well, TGIF, but Jasper's hotel room in Philadelphia is right next to mine, so this little happening today and the constant flirting will continue all weekend… _yay_.

I let go of Jasper's hand, smiling weakly before ducking under his arm to leave the set and go off to my purse one of the director's chairs. I grinned when I saw a message from Bella, my best friend and sister-in-law. She was off in Washington State visiting her father with Edward, my brother. _Call me ASAP! Haven't talked to you in forever and I'm sick of e-mails. Stop avoiding me. :P _

I smirked and chose to call her once I was back at the hotel. I grabbed the rest of my belongings and untangled my headphone cord. I desperately needed some tunes and alone time to get this yummy boy out of my head. I went into the dressing room to change out of my very small wardrobe and chatted a bit with the costume designer as I hung up my clothes on the rack. Everyone seemed extremely nice on set.

It had been over a month that I had been here and filming was wrapping up in another month or so, but up until now, we've had a pretty low-key experience; not many people swarming the place when we leave set. Security was topnotch for Jasper Whitlock_, of course._

I walked out of the other room, back behind the scenes to take my canvas bag, music player, and phone, as I got ready to head back to the hotel. When I turned around, I saw my manager—talking to Jasper. Even she looked dazzled speaking to the charismatic celebrity. I hung my bag over my shoulder and approached them just as Jasper was persuading Maggie.

"I thought it would be good publicity if she went with me to the event tomorrow evening. We give the press a glimpse and make them crazy," he said with a smirk. Me? Was he asking if I should go to the Volturi Production Company's newest movie premiere tomorrow? "By the time this sucker comes out, they'll be dying to see her again."

"I'll talk it over. I don't see how it can hurt," Maggie replied as her eyes met mine and she smiled. "I'm going to call you around eight tomorrow morning to discuss a few things, maybe we can get some coffee, but it looks like you could use some sleep," she said with pursed lips, critically crossing my features. "Have a good night. Nice to meet you, Jasper," she called before disappearing.

Was it just me, or was a lot of shit going down without me knowing?

Soon enough I was in the safety of my hotel room, cooped up with some tea and a blaring television set. I sat on the large queen-sized bed in the middle of my room and rested my back against the headboard as I stared intently at the television, as my mind wandered—focusing on anything but the infomercial on blenders.

You know in high school when teachers and parents tell you not to care what other people think? And you think: _easier said then done, asshole. _Do you remember the spy-phase where you'd spy on your family or friends and eavesdrop, so curious as to what was going on in their head, what were you missing?

I wanted in Jasper's head, damnit. I wanted to know what that meant today, what all of it meant. As if on cue, I heard a knock at my door. Clad in sweatpants and a tank top, I wasn't in the proper attire to see anyone, but—did that knock come from the wall? Maybe my television was too loud; I immediately muted it.

_Knock… knock…_

I jumped up off the bed and went to the front door, peering though the small peephole to find the culprit, but no one was outside the door.

_Knock, knock, knock… _

I turned and looked at the adjoining door in the middle of the right wall that connected my room to Jasper's. No, now I was imagining things. Maybe I really was that tired.

"Alice," Jasper called through the thin walls with a chuckle, his laughter echoing in my small room. My pulse accelerated and I flitted over to the door, leaning my cheek against the frame.

"What?" My voice was shaking. Stop it. Didn't I swear not to get involved with this guy? I said he wouldn't have me following him like some lost puppy. Gosh, I sounded like Charlotte now. _Method acting; nice, Alice._

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked sweetly and I knew he would mush me into saying yes, but then I looked down at my casual-beyond-casual sweats and winced. I was a fashionista, but sweats were sweats and even if they were designer, they were still unacceptable to wear in public, right? Right. Wow, look at me, I'm worrying about fashion while the sexiest man of the past decade is knocking on my door.

"If you were just going to bed, don't worry about it," he assured me it wasn't dire, but what could he want?

I slid over to the mirror, ruffling my hair a bit and shaking it into a messy perfection. I pinched my cheeks wanting some sort of natural blush to win him over—what was I saying?

"Uh, sure, let me unlock the door," I called, looking for my card key and sliding it in the lock, shakily pulling it out to see it was denied. Okay, relax. Calm down. Nothing's going to happen. I tried it again and opened the door, stepping back to see Jasper in the same clothes he had on earlier, but he looked like a mess. His eyes were dark, bruised from lack of sleep—had that been covered with makeup?

He stepped forward and I stumbled back. He smirked and I blushed. He wrapped an arm around my waist and I reluctantly nuzzled into his chest. He dipped his head and I captured my lips with his, feeling the release finally dissipate. Somehow all my questions and frustrations of earlier didn't make sense.

Jasper had knocked on my door in the middle of the night to kiss me—his tongue brushed my lower lip and I relaxed my jaw to allow him to explore seemingly familiar territory—or make out with me. My arms wrapped around his neck and I felt protectively secure in his arms. No words were exchanged to explain what either of us were thinking, but it was as if we could both feel one another's emotions.

His emotions sang: _I like you. _Mine harmonized: _I like you, too. _His grinned bashfully. Mine kissed that adorable dimple.

I think that was Jasper's way of asking me out, because after that, we were inseparable.

I never did get to call Bella that night...

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**There was a bit of language in this! Sorry. I had a few ideas for how to speed up the process and get them in a relationship. One was introducing a new character: James, who would make Jasper jealous, but that gets messy. The second was waiting until after the premiere and this was the third idea. I will tell you my inspiration later on because right now, it would spoil everything and I know no one likes that. **

**A few things: I have a twitter account lipstickletter, so hit me up on it and you'll see when I'm writing and posting before you get your e-mail notification! Also, I'm a beta now, so if you want me to help you along with a story, feel free to contact me. **

**This chapter wasn't my best, but I thought of the best romance thing ever while writing this chapter and can't wait to put it in the next one! I'm thinking five or six chapters to this story. I'm getting down to the basics of their relationship before the twist and- stay tuned! **

******Thank you all for reviewing and reading, story alerting, and favoriting; it is definitely appreciated!**  



	3. Chapter 3

******Please note: This does not have a happy ending. Precede with caution.**

**Disclaimer: Anything recognizable belongs to its rightful owner. Stephenie Meyer owns Alice and Jasper, unfortunately.**

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My first premiere was interesting. For three hours I was poked, prodded, and pampered. My hair was curled and pinned back; my make-up was done and re-done. The only thing that wasn't changed was my dress: a black strapless dress with pockets at the hips and a sweetheart neckline. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it on the hanger and luckily it fit like a glove. Despite the perfect dress, it was a relief to get outside.

I was ushered into the back of a sleek black Mercedes by the lovely Mr. Jenks, Jasper's personal assistant. He was a nervous man, but very friendly and always gracious. I carefully tucked my dress underneath me as I slid into the seat and heard the sultry bass of a greeting.

"You look stunning," he said with a devilish smirk. I looked over to see him, oddly comfortable and debonair in a classic black suit. After last night, things felt a bit odd. There was no official set relationship, but when he knocked on my door simply with the intentions of kissing me, I thought that had some strings attached, right?

"You're nervous," he noted with a sad smile, his arm settling around my shoulders as he leaned down to press a kiss to my ear. Maybe he was an effortless charmer, here to manipulate me—the naïve aspiring actress—into thinking that falling for him would get me anywhere in the business. "Don't be," he encouraged in a whisper. My breath hitched.

"J—Jasper?" I stuttered, craning my neck to move away just a bit. "We need to talk about—"

"Don't worry," he interrupted me with an easy smile. "I'm only taking a few interviews and you're with me on everyone. You don't have to say anything."

The car stopped and a few flash bulbs erupted outside of the car—had we gotten there already?

"Think of this as media training one-oh-one." Jasper's door was opened first and he gave me a reassuring smile before leaving the car.

An eruption of female screams echoed at his arrival. I gulped, looking nervously to my door as it opened and a spectacular choir of flashbulbs blinded me. In the midst of the chaos, a hand emerged and I took the familiar gesture without a second-thought. Leaving the car, I heard a few shouts toward Jasper and one or two wolf-whistles; I hung my head embarrassedly.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," Jasper called, shaking his head as one of his arms slid around my waist. There was a shaper, protective edge to his voice. "None of that. Treat the lady kindly." My heart melted.

The next few bits happened in a blur. Jenks led us to the main carpet, a runway so-to-speak, which was lined with fans on one side and press on the other. Jasper and I were led to the press first. The first interview was—unique.

I stood behind Jasper for the first few interviews as he leaned in to hear the interviewer over the loud screams of the teenage girls behind us. Still, his hand held mine as silently promised. I couldn't hear either one speak until Jasper turned to glance at me and he tugged my hand to have me stand beside him.

"We're filming in Philadelphia, just flew in this afternoon and made it to New York," he said with an adorable grin. I smiled weakly and looked back toward the interviewer, a young woman with long brown hair, a bit uptight and noticeably uncomfortable in a suit.

"Ah, and who is your date?" she asked, nodding toward me. Jasper ducked his head with that same viral crooked smile. Was that a blush or had all the flashes gotten to him?

"Alice Brandon. I'm introducing my lovely and talented co-star to the premiere scene," he replied, simply.

"And is there any romance on the set of _Kinetic Hello_?"

"Sorry, no more questions. We've got to keep it moving," Jenks interrupted over my shoulder. I sighed with relief, feeling the blood recede from my cheeks and my pulse steady. Jasper squeezed my hand, murmured a gracious 'thank you' to the young woman and then Jenks motioned for Jasper to approach the screaming fans.

'MARRY ME' was written across one of the posters and I awkwardly took a step back. Jasper looked toward me and pouted. I leaned up so my lips met his ear.

"It's fine, I can just get a head start and go in," I assured him and after a minute of deliberation, he nodded silently before we peacefully parted ways.

I awkwardly went inside, finding my seat beside a sign with Jasper's name on it, taking the role as his 'plus one.' Of course he was in the esteemed VIP section of the theatre. I caught a glimpse of a few of the Volturi elites: producers, directors, and infamous children of such stars. I also caught the eye of the fabulous, gorgeous Rosalie Hale, the star of tonight's premiere, and her husband, Emmett McCarty.

Rosalie had been in countless productions starting from age five. She was discovered in a department store to be a toy store model and commercial-kid before she moved onto sitcoms, cheesy soap operas, and now respected movies. She was my idol. The end.

I shyly looked away and glanced at the seat beside me. '_Rosalie Hale_' would be sitting next to me. Small world. Internally, I forced myself to relax, looking toward the entrance to hopefully see Jasper coming in. How would I properly introduce myself? _Oh, I'm just in a small film with Jasper—no, I don't exactly know what's going on between us… _

In a huff, Jasper sat down beside me and began rubbing his temples. I pouted, leaning forward and turning a bit to face him. "You okay?" I asked, biting my lower lip.

"Fine," he assured me with a wave of his hand. "Wicked headache, s'all," He smiled as he lowered his hand and our eyes met. For a minute or perhaps only a few seconds, we shared a small silent conversation simply with our eyes.

My mind raced to the night before: no explanations, just a few kisses with no strings attached, or so it seemed. My heart was definitely attached. And then he opened his mouth to speak, hesitating and chuckling a bit to himself as he looked away. I did the same and looked toward the talented and brilliant Rosalie Hale as I began to fantasize.

I put myself in her shoes, wondering if I would ever be as successful as her. She had a few mishaps with the paparazzi invading her privacy and going a bit too far. Would my picture ever be worth anything? What about her sitting next to me tonight? Would that be the be-all-and-end-all scenario? If she didn't like me, she would surely tell everyone she worked with and how would I get a job after this? Even with Jasper's support, Rosalie's lack thereof wouldn't help.

All right, maybe that last thought was a bit extreme.

"I wanted to ask you—" Jasper began, snapping me out of my reverie, before his voice trailed off. He took in my expression and chuckled. "You look nervous as hell, what's up?"

"I do?" I choked, earning him another chuckle. I shook my head, the blood rushing to my cheeks as I drew my gaze to my lap. "What were you going to ask me?"

"Don't change the subject," he said, his amusement fading. "What's wrong?" he pressed and I regrettably glanced in the star's direction. He caught on and chuckled again. "Hey, Rose!" he called.

"No!" I whispered in protest, groaning when she looked over and smiled genuinely before approaching us. Jasper continued laughing at my mortification and I embarrassed myself in front of Hollywood's starlet.

On the plane ride home from the premiere the next day, I sat in the front of the plane chatting with Jenks about family, hometowns, and overall small talk before he decided to snooze. Glancing back, I saw Jasper in the last row, massaging his temples with his eyes closed. Pursing my lips, I decided to join him, standing up and walking through the small aisle of seats.

As I got closed I realized how pale he looked. Had he gotten any sleep? He had jokingly told Rosalie he had managed a good two hours, but last night I managed to get a full eight or so.

I sat beside him and put a hand on his bicep, squeezing the tense muscle. "Are you all right?" I asked quietly.

He immediately put his hand down and nodded with a peculiarly distant smile. "I'm an insomniac," he confessed as if he could read my prior thoughts. "Sleep is a waste of time." I gave him a half-hearted smile and glanced down at his lap to see a tabloid nestled between his leg and the armrest. Letting my curiosity control me, I reached out to grab it, but he put his hand over mine to stop me.

"You don't want to read it," he said gravely. I could've laughed at how serious he sounded. It was a tabloid, how bad could it be? Plus, I wanted the horoscopes in the back. I was always into the astrological crap they had in the back, forcing myself to believe that Saturn will bring me great fortune next month.

I pulled my hand away from his and went for the magazine again—this time he didn't try to stop me. Smirking in my small victory, I smoothed out the mangled glossy pages of the front cover and scanned over its contents. I dropped the magazine as the faces became clear.

A collage: Jasper and I getting off the airplane, Jasper and I arriving at the premiere, Jasper and I leaving the premiere, Jasper and I entering our hotel at the end of the night, and finally a blurred picture of my hotel room window. The headline read _Jasper Whitlock and mystery girl! Where's Maria? (see page 24 for more!)_

Regrettably, I skimmed for page twenty-four and felt Jasper tense beside me. Still, I naively began reading.

"_Jasper Whitlock, our beloved heartthrob, has ditched his longtime sweetheart for a new babe. Sources tell us she is his co-star for his latest project _Kinetic Hello _in which he plays—you guessed it!—a heartthrob romantic. We did a little background check on the home wrecking girl in question and found out that she's an ordinary small town aspiring actress model—how original, Jasper! _

"_Come on, Jasper! She's cute and all, but we liked you much better when you were with Maria. This girl can't even be five feet tall, definitely not a good match for our six-foot hunk! We all know you love Maria, so cut this stupid break you have and go back to her. Do you agree, Jasper fans?" _

I closed the magazine. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it certainly put things into perspective. Why would Jasper be interested in me? Why would I fit perfectly with him? Where was Maria and what happened with that? Was he still with her? Am I a home wrecker?

"This comes with the package," Jasper muttered beside me and I let out a sigh, leaning back in the seat as his arm came around my shoulders. "Tabloids, rumors, mostly all lies—no, _always_ all lies."

"I knew about paparazzi going in, but I didn't think it would happen that fast," I mused, my voice trailing off. I shook my head before continuing, ridding myself of any regret. "I know that's a consequence of the whole Hollywood thing, but I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to be an actress."

Surprisingly, Jasper chuckled. Did he have no censor? Ugh. I glared at him and his entertainment softened. "You don't get it, do you?" he asked with that viral crooked smile. I narrowed my eyes in confusion and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear tenderly.

"I meant this comes with the package deal of _us_," _oh. _"Maria and I had only dated when we were teenagers, but we kept up the shpeal for the tabloids and to avoid the 'crushed fans' or whatever. It was easier not to publicly announce a break-up. I haven't had anything more than a first date in years. They see the tabloids and either never call me back or milk the fame to be discovered or something," he ducked his head and I turned to forced my face in my lap as my hands tightly held one another.

"So we're—a thing?" I asked stupidly. He smirked and hugged me to his side.

"Hmm, well if by 'thing' you mean 'dating' then yes," he said. "That is if you're agreeing to my horrible proposal," he added, leaning his cheek on the top of my head as I leaned against his chest.

"I am," I agreed.

"Consider everything first," he warned, although his sultry bass vibrating in his chest hypnotized me into agreeing to anything he said. "All the press, all the rumors, all the lies. I don't want to pull you into anything you don't want."

"I know," I said, closing my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"You won't be able to leave the house without someone snapping a picture. Your family and friends might get involved, too," he added, trying to get me to disagree, although with our bodies so close and his charismatic air so pronounced, we both knew 'no' was not in my vernacular.

Opening my eyes and sitting up, I cupped my hands on either side of his face while his hands rested on my arms, his thumbs making soothing circles to further my distraction.

I forced myself to look into his eyes and nuzzled my nose with his, watching his eyes close. "I'm a big girl, I can handle it," I assured him with a smile before our lips met. I pulled back abruptly and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I smiled apologetically before asking, "Don't I have to ask my manager before I do this kind of thing?" His loud guffaw answered my question and I blushed.

"I mean I've had boyfriends before, but never with a manager and it always seems so complicated. Don't laugh; I'm an outsider looking in! I don't get celebrity relationships," I said with a pout. His laughter continued, but he somehow managed to press a quick peck to my lips.

"You're adorable," he confessed with a final chuckle.

"That didn't answer my question," I said with a proud smile.

"Uh, well, you do need to tell her because I'm sure she'll be wondering once she gets wind of these tabloids—if she hasn't already. It's pretty similar to normalcy; you tell your parents, friends, and managers," he said with a smirk, the back of his hand brushing across my cheek. "Okay?" he asked, his smile widening.

I nodded once and in one swift movement, he put one arm under my knees and swung me into his lap. I squealed, probably waking Jenks up, but not exactly thinking of that. Jasper smirked, his warm breath against my ear. "Let me properly ask you now," he whispered lowly in that infamous southern drawl and my breath hitched. "Miss. Brandon, will you be my girl?"

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**Thanks for reviewing! What do _you _think will happen? I love reading everyone's predictions and sometimes you get very close! Please review and hopefully I'll update very soon. I think there will be seven or eight chapters. I know last chapter I said five or six, but I organized my ideas and it will now be seven or eight (depending on the epilogue scenario: to have an epilogue or not to have an epilogue, that is the question!). **

**Anyway, thank you very much, please review, and Happy October! I love autumn! **


	4. Chapter 4

******Please note: This does not have a happy ending. Precede with caution.**

**Disclaimer: Anything recognizable belongs to its rightful owner. Stephenie Meyer owns Alice and Jasper, unfortunately.**

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"Time passes quickly," I began, biting my lip in hesitation. "Things change. Sometimes for the better, but mostly they turn to shit." I paused, glancing down at the script before I heard Marcus over the headphones.

"Good, continue onto the next line at 4-3," he directed and I obeyed, flipping the page to the correct line. It was ADR day; filming was finally done and now I was narrating a few scenes, recording my voice to be dubbed over a few scenes.

"He said he loved me," I began, pausing for a moment to build the momentum. "Love isn't permanent. I love ice cream one day and once I have too much of it, I hate it. Maybe no one gave him the memo. Maybe he doesn't like ice cream…" I smirked at the weird quips Charlotte had in the script.

"Perfect," Jasper's voice came over the headset and I bit back a smile as I looked over to the booth he sat in, watching him converse with Marcus before letting me in on what was next.

"Head over to section 5, line 7," Marcus chimed in.

"Ah, what about break time?" Jasper teased with a growing smile. "The poor girl's been working for hours recording and re-recording and—"

"No, I'm fine!" I interrupted them.

"It's been four hours," Jasper continued.

"Four?" Marcus asked incredulously. He glanced through a few stacks of paperwork.

"We're way ahead of schedule," he continued to persuade. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm fine, guys, I can keep going."

"Don't worry about it, baby doll, we're taking a break," he flashed me an irresistible smile and then turned back to Marcus, turning the speakers off so I could no longer hear them.

I sighed, taking the headset off and untangling myself from the wires. I hopped off the stool and grabbed my canteen before leaving the small recording booth and going into the editing space.

"I think we need to add in a transition, here—" Marcus was busily scribbling on a scrap of the script, while I crept up behind Jasper.

Leaning over to tap his shoulder, he caught my hand and kissed the heel of my palm. "Gotcha." I stuck my tongue out childishly in defeat. He smirked and turned his attention back to Marcus.

"So what's the haps?" I asked.

Marcus smiled and glanced up once before diving back into his work, motioning for Jasper to explain. Jasper smirked and turned around in his chair to face me. I sat at the edge of the table.

"Fine-tuning a couple things. The script is really loose, he's just writing a couple of new things to blend it together and make the transitions less choppy. We should be out of here pretty early, though," he explained and I looked over at what Marcus was writing before Jenks burst into the room.

"Do you have a minute?" he asked, comically out of breath. Jasper smirked and nodded, standing up slowly as Jenks explained at a million-mile-an-hour speed. "We have three interviews set up in the next room. Do you think you have enough time to head on over and get a few questions in?"

Jasper glanced over at Marcus, who waved a hand in approval, not raising his head from his work. Jasper smirked and stood up from his chair, heading toward the door, but Jenks stopped him.

"I think it may be wise to bring Alice with you," he interjected. "It would draw more attention to the project; the public hasn't seen much of her."

It was true: Jasper's plan to have a fresh face in this project—along with a veteran celeb—was definitely working well for the Indie film. Screaming fans disproved of my rumored—or not-so-rumored—romantic connection to their favorite heartthrob. Tabloids tore me apart from my small town background to my height, hair color, and overall appearance. Other tabloids loved me, gabbing about my fashion and trendsetting. Good or bad press, it was still a start and no matter what, we were getting people talking.

Jasper held out a hand to help me down off the tabletop. I swatted his hand playfully, hopping down myself and sticking my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and I walked ahead of him as Jenks led us to the next room.

Two armchairs were set up and I sighed with relief. After sitting on a wooden-backed stool for a good four hours, I was looking to lounge. Before I could sit down, a hand shot out in front of me.

"Tanya from Denali Magazine, so nice to meet you," the strawberry blonde bombshell jumped to shake my hand, though her gaze went to Jasper, who was greeting another interviewer.

Before I could answer Tanya, another man approached me. "Laurent from Philadelphia Weekly," he introduced with a nod.

"Alice. Nice to meet you," I said with a genuine smile.

"Alright, you two only have a limited time with these guys. So sit down and get started," Jenks interrupted. He was harsh, but when I glanced at Tanya, she was more interested in eyeing Jasper than doing her job.

I sat in the large plush white leather chair, folding my legs beneath me and leaning to one side. Jasper sat beside me, propping his leg up and hanging his arm lazily on the armrest—he too leaned to the side, toward me.

"First off, thank you for making time for us," Laurent said with a smile. "How about you give us a little synopsis of _Kinetic Hello_."

I glanced over at Jasper, who was looking at me. "Ladies first," he handed me the question. I rolled my eyes and smiled back at Laurent.

"Basically it's a classic love story. My character, Charlotte, is a stereotypical hermit. She lives her job as an author and finds men unnecessary in the pursuit of happiness. She doesn't believe in love and is stubborn about falling in love or letting anyone too far into her life. She moves to Philadelphia to help her muse and I suppose to free her from writer's block. She meets this guy," I said, motioning to Jasper off-handedly, "and finds out she's wrong on her belief of love."

"You're new to Hollywood. What was the whole audition process like? Was it nerve-racking?" Tanya pressed.

"I've always wanted to be an actress and I've been on a ton of auditions, but without anything credible on my resume, they would all turn me away," I said, pausing to smooth out the crease on the pant leg of my jeans. "So I went to this studio for this movie and I loved the story, so that put more pressure on because this was the first project I really wanted to do and really fell in love with. Also with Marcus Volturi writing the script? Come on, it has to be phenomenal, right?" Laurent and Jasper chuckled at my enthusiasm.

"What about Jasper's name on the project? Did that add any bit of anxiety? Were you even there when she auditioned?" Tanya turned back to Jasper, who grinned and ducked his head in embarrassment.

"I was—Well, I walked in halfway through the test run. Alice had—_has_ a bit of a spark, which I didn't see in the other young women who came through. She _was _Charlotte. She had the attitude and spirit for it," he looked toward me and I smiled, nodding toward the two interviewers.

"Are you going to tell them or should I?" I asked with a giggle. He chuckled and shook his head. I sighed, turning to Laurent and Tanya. "He kept me in the audition room for an hour and we ran as much of the script as they would release. He handed me the part before he could talk it over with the rest of the team."

"Ah, well we have read that you two are romantically involved," Laurent slipped in. "Are the rumors true?"

I looked toward Jasper and he looked toward me. The last time we had been asked this, we weren't sure where we stood. Now we did, but it was definitely simpler if we just denied everything.

"He's my best friend," I said, turning back to Laurent. "He gave me my first big break, opened a ton of doors, and introduced me to the business. Plus, we were stuck in Philly for five months filming and neither of us had ever been to Philadelphia, so we've been tourists together, too," I said with a giggle.

"I've heard you've proposed to Miss. Brandon on set," Tanya was unconvinced.

"Stick to the movie," Jenks called from behind us. I looked back and smiled at him, putting a hand on Jasper's arm and looking back to the interviewers.

"Jasper's character, Peter, proposes to Charlotte. Perhaps you have that confused?" I asked with a giggle. Jasper smirked. "Really, we get the tabloids sent to our hotel rooms and we laugh about some of the things posted. I'm an alien, apparently." Jasper chuckled lightly, in contrast to our loud booming laughter last night when we read that bit.

"How is it working with Marcus Volturi?" Laurent asked us.

"Amazing," Jasper answered with a smile. "It's a different dynamic, really. The script is so loose and he is constantly writing and re-writing."

"He also asks us how we feel about the dynamic of the characters. This story is so personal for him and to feel as—connected as he does is really remarkable," I added.

"How is it producing and acting in the film? Are we going to see more of you behind the scenes?" Laurent asked Jasper.

"I've been acting since I was little and when this project came about I jumped at the opportunity. It's a little different. Work doesn't end when they call 'cut,' y'know?" he chuckled and dipped his head. "I definitely want to direct one day, but for now I'll take what I can get. I like life right now."

"There was a little drama in the beginning of this production. How did you feel stepping into Maria Moreno's shoes?" Tanya asked.

Jenks went to jump to my aid, but I shook my head. "I can answer it," I assured him. My manager was more getting me cast and sending me projects. Jenks kept an eye out for me when Maggie was back at the office.

"It was hard all around. This was my first production. I was acting with a big name director and writer, Marcus Volturi. I was co-starring with a Hollywood heartthrob, Mr. Whitlock over here," I said, nudging his elbow with my own. We both smiled, he blushed and ducked his head, keeping his gaze in his lap. "So to take over the job for Maria was tough, but she had a prior engagement and I am glad I was given the opportunity. I've tried to put that out of my head and just tried to give the character justice rather than dwell on the anxieties."

"That's all the time we have." Jenks stood next to Jasper. Soon enough, we shook hands with both interviewers and exited the room back into the studio. Marcus was still scribbling away and dismissed us for another break, so Jasper and I decided to grab some coffee.

Much to Jenks' disproval, Jasper convinced him to lay off the bodyguards. We wore sunglasses in the overcast skies and Jasper donned a hat for his own personal style, not to hide from the paparazzi.

We made it a few blocks of innocent bantering without being bombarded, but someone caught wind of our journey and two blocks away from the coffee shop was a swarm of paparazzi.

"Hi, Alice. How are you doing today?" the man asked, hiding behind his lens that snapped countless pictures.

"Good," I answered sweetly, but abruptly, not wanting to talk much more.

"When's that movie coming out, you two?" another man asked, struggling to come further up in the mob.

"We're in pre-production, but it's set to come out this upcoming summer," I again answered with a grin, looking back at Jasper, who merely smiled. He seemed a bit lost in thought, but he was never one for this kind of attention.

Jasper could stand the interviews, the red carpets, the screaming fans, and the job, but when paparazzi asked questions, he refused to answer. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Everyone was snapping pictures of you, getting paid for being borderline invasive.

Thankfully, we made it to the coffee shop and we walked silently inside, ignoring the rest of the inappropriate questions asked. The brightly illuminated shop was quaintly adorned with vases of red rose arrangements and wooden tables with tall wooden stools scattered in no particular order about the store.

I went to the counter and ordered my drink, though Jasper refused to let me pay for it. His gentlemanly impulses were a bit too much at times, but never underappreciated.

We stood around waiting for our coffee as the giggly cashier went in the back to concoct our foreign named beverages. Jasper's hand was subconsciously on the small of my back and I glanced up at him in warning, but he was staring at me innocently. He still had that intense air about him. Something was on his mind.

"Are you okay?" I asked with a jumpy giggle. He nodded; I pursed my lips. "You sure?"

"I have a new project that just came up," he blurted out. "It's eight weeks in New York." His tone was anything but excited.

"Well, congratulations," I said with a grin, going up to grab our drinks when the woman called out the order. "When are you leaving?" I asked, going over to the station with other additives. Jasper took his cup and paused, hesitating at the worst time. My stomach churned at the forceful silence.

"Two days."

Oh… Well two months isn't that bad… I mean, it's coming around the holidays so that would be a little tough, but I'd see my family for Christmas. It would've been nice for him to meet them—what am I saying? Is he bringing this up to end this now? _Hey thanks, but filming's over and now I'm done with whatever we had. _Cool…

"Two days?" I asked with a pout, trying to ease the tension as we left the coffee shop. The paparazzi resumed their positions and I took a long sip of my coffee. "I'll miss you," I murmured, quiet enough that the paparazzi didn't hear.

Jasper's smile was heartbreaking, but the next motion was truly shocking. He took my hand, lacing his fingertips with my own and pulling me closer to him. I ignored the comments of the men around us and relaxed, letting the feeling of euphoria and love-struck consume me.

He dipped his head to whisper in my ear, "I'll miss you, too."

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**A/N: **Sorry for the delay! I literally started writing chapter four in so many different ways. First I tried Jasper meeting Alice's family at a birthday dinner, but it was too complicated to introduce more characters when I plan for this story to be 10 chapters or less. Then I tried to have them living together, but that contradicted the first couple lines of this story. So I ended up with this and tied it into the New York comment from Chapter One. Now Jasper and Alice are public, which is what I was trying to get at by chapter four and I managed to do so.

Anyway, special shout-out to FiercelyJalice on Twitter for showing her interest in the story. Follow me on Twitter at lipstickletter and you can talk to me, ask questions, or bug me to update your favorite story.

Please review and thank you for reading despite the note at the top of each chapter. You guys are awesome! Happy November! This year is going by quick!

**PS If you like the whole Hollywood storyline, check out my fic LDF that revolves around Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene! I just updated it a few days ago with some JoBro drama. Oh wow... I just typed 'JoBro'... **

TURN YO CLOCKS BACK! That is all.


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